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For other people named David Miller, see David Miller (disambiguation) David Raymond Miller (born December 26, 1958) is a Canadian politician. He is the current Mayor of Toronto, having been elected to the position in 2003. Miller is the 63rd mayor of Toronto, and the second of the merged megacity. He is a member of the New Democratic Party, but was elected mayor without any party affiliation.
Background Miller was born in San Francisco, California. His American father, Joe Miller, died of cancer in 1960, and his English mother Joan returned with her son to Thriplow, south of Cambridge. Miller spent his earliest years in England before moving to Canada with his mother in 1967. Although not from a wealthy background, he was able to attend Lakefield College School on a scholarship at the time Prince Andrew was a student. Miller completed a four-year undergraduate degree at Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in Economics in 1981. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto Law School in 1984 and became a partner at the prominent Toronto law firm of Aird & Berlis, specializing in employment, immigration law and shareholder rights. He represented Toronto Islands residents in a 1985 arbitration case as an articling student, and later said that this experience was his introduction to municipal politics. He married fellow lawyer Jill Arthur in 1994, and the pair have two children. Miller joined the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1985, and has a picture of former NDP leader Tommy Douglas displayed on his office wall. He first campaigned for the Metropolitan Toronto council in 1991, arguing that Toronto needed to improve its public transit system to establish itself as a world-class city. He lost to incumbent councillor Derwyn Shea. Miller was subsequently the NDP's candidate for Parkdale—High Park in the 1993 Canadian federal election, and finished fourth against Liberal incumbent Jesse Flis. Metro Councillor Miller campaigned for the Metro Toronto Council a second time in 1994, and was elected for the High Park ward over former MP Andrew Witer and future cabinet minister Tony Clement. Following the election, he was appointed to the Metro Planning and Transportation Committee, the Metro Anti-racism Committee, and the Board of Governors for Exhibition Place. He spoke against Metro's decision to cut $3 million from its staffing budget in early 1995, arguing that the resulting hardship for laid-off workers during a national recession would be "unconscionable". Miller criticized the provincial government of Mike Harris for amalgamating the City of Toronto in 1997, arguing that its decision to eliminate six local councils and establish a "megacity" was carried out without public approval. He proposed an alternate plan to fold the six local councils into Metro, but this received little support. Miller also opposed the Harris government's plan to fingerprint welfare recipients, describing the policy as "wrong and offensive". He campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1996, running as the NDP candidate in York South. He was narrowly defeated by Liberal Party candidate Gerard Kennedy. 1997-2000 Miller was elected to the new City of Toronto council in the 1997, winning one of the two seats in High Park ward. He was appointed to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) after the election, and soon emerged as a prominent ally of TTC chair Howard Moscoe. He was also appointed to lead a twelve-member committee that studied the transition to amalgamated municipal services, and successfully advocated that Toronto City Hall rather than Metro Hall to be the permanent seat of the new government. Miller later served on a three-member committee that recommended changes to the municipal ward boundaries. Miller issued a formal apology on behalf of the TTC in June 1999, following complaints about a subway advertisement by the Toronto police union that many believed depicted Hispanics as criminals. He was quoted as saying, "The TTC regrets this (ad) because it's obviously inappropriate". The following year, he argued that the police union's controversial "Operation True Blue" telemarketing campaign was creating a climate of intimidation for Toronto residents. Both Miller and his wife received threatening telephone calls during the 2000 municipal election, after the police union listed his home telephone number in a campaign advertisement. Miller became known as an advocate for waterfront parklands during his time on council. He supported several aspects of a 2000 report from Robert Fung of the Toronto Waterfront Task Force, although he criticized Fung's proposal to sell parkland near Exhibition Place for private development. He also opposed plans to construct a condominium near Toronto's High Park within his ward. Miller strongly opposed a plan by Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman to ship Toronto's garbage to the Adams Mine in Northern Ontario (the plan was ultimately defeated by council). He supported the construction of affordable housing for low-income residents in the Swansea section of his ward. 2000-2003 Following electoral redistribution, Miller was re-elected in 2000 over fellow councillor Bill Saundercook. He was re-appointed to the TTC and sought election as its chair, but was passed over in favour of Brian Ashton. In 2001, he expressed concern that the WheelTrans bus service for the disabled might be contracted out to the private sector. Miller won the unanimous support of his colleagues in July 2001 for a motion requesting that the federal government approve the transfer of gasoline-tax revenues to Toronto's public transit system. He later suggested that Toronto's building revenues could be put toward priority spending rather than being stored in reserve accounts, arguing that the city's real estate boom would allow council to defer transit hikes and provide programs for children and the homeless. He was also a leading voice in exposing Toronto's MFP computer leasing scandal in 2001 and 2002, bringing to light several questionable lobbying practices at city hall. As chair of the city's working group on immigrant and refugee issues, Miller introduced a mentorship program making it easier for recent immigrants to gain work experience in Canada. The project addressed the problem of underemployment among newly-arrived professional workers. Miller was given an A+ grade by Toronto Life in November 2000 for his work on council, and was described as "the best of the bunch, hands down." In April 2002, the Toronto Environmental Alliance awarded him an "A" grade for his work on the TTC. In May 2002, Mayor Mel Lastman criticized Miller for using the word "corruption" during a debate about the city's appointments process. Deputy Mayor Case Ootes censured Miller for his choice of words, but the council voted 27-16 to overturn this decision. At one stage in the debate, Lastman yelled at Miller, "You will never be mayor of this city because you say stupid and dumb things!" Lastman's comment was widely ridiculed, particularly in light of his own penchant for embarrassing comments. Several political observers believe that the exchange increased Miller's profile in the buildup to the 2003 campaign. Miller later became the most prominent opponent of Lastman's plan to build a $22 million bridge to the Toronto Island Airport. He argued that the bridge would ruin the city's plans to revitalize its waterfront, and that the proposed deal was symptomatic of a political culture at City Hall that put the interests of developers and lobbyists ahead of the public. During the 2003 campaign, he said, "An expanded airport smack in the middle of our downtown waterfront -- a site that is proposed to be one of the most exciting and dynamic communities ever built in Canada -- makes absolutely no sense at all. Allowing the Toronto Port Authority to spend millions of dollars of public money to build a bridge to serve a single private interest over the interests of the entire city is simply wrong and should be stopped immediately." 2003 Mayoral campaign See main article: Toronto municipal election, 2003 Miller's plans to campaign for mayor were well known around city hall in 2002, and there was little surprise when he formally declared his candidacy in January 2003. His earliest supporters included councillors Howard Moscoe, Sandra Bussin, Irene Jones and Anne Johnston and urban planner Jane Jacobs. He was later endorsed by councillors Olivia Chow, Joe Pantalone and Brian Ashton, public figures such as June Callwood, Judy Rebick, Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and Michele Landsberg, American environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Association. The Toronto Star newspaper, journalist Royson James and councillors Raymond Cho and Michael Walker also endorsed Miller near the end of the campaign. Miller's campaign organization was diverse. Although he received support from many New Democrats and social activists, his top campaign strategists included veteran Conservatives such as John Laschinger and Liberals such as Peter Donolo. Architect Jack Diamond was also a co-chair of his campaign Miller used a broom as a prop in this campaign, symbolizing his commitment to cleaning up Toronto both literally, in terms of litter, and metaphorically, referring to the shady dealings at City Hall. He pledged to cancel the airport bridge, appoint a municipal ethics commissioner, and promote public transit by fully implementing the TTC's ridership growth plan. He supported a police request to hire thirty-two new officers, and opposed rival candidate John Tory's plans for trash incineration. Miller's polling numbers stalled around 12-13% for most of 2003, but increased in October when early frontrunner Barbara Hall suddenly lost much of her support. He first led a city-wide poll on 22 October 2003, scoring 31% support against 29% for Hall and 23% for John Tory. Days before the vote, prominent Hall supporters Bob Rae and Kyle Rae acknowledged that she could not win, and encouraged her supporters to vote for Miller over Tory. Miller defeated Tory 43% to 38%, and appointed Jane Jacobs and former Toronto Mayor David Crombie to chair his transition team. Mayor Miller entered the mayor's office with high expectations. His election campaign was based on two key issues, stopping the bridge to the Island airport and cleaning up city hall. His first promise was quickly met, while the second is more complex and has only partially been fulfilled. Miller's first term as mayor has been focused on issues such as waterfront renewal, public transit, and municipal reform. He also shifted toward a focus on community safety issues following an increase in gun violence during 2005. Many of Miller's initiatives are centred around long-term development goals, and not all have come to fruition after three years. Some in the media have criticized the pace of change. Waterfront policy Soon after his election, Miller led council to reverse its previous support for the Toronto City Centre Airport bridge. The new mayor argued that the bridge was detrimental to the regional environment, was unwanted by most local residents, and stood in the way of a more comprehensive renewal of the waterfront economy. Supporters of the bridge argued that it would make airline service more efficient, and provide a financial benefit. The vote, held on December 3, 2003, was 32-12 in favour of withdrawal. Afterwards, the federal government announced that it would withdraw its support for the project. There were subsequent threats of legal action against the City by the Toronto Port Authority (TPA) and developer Robert Deluce, but these were settled in 2005 when the federal government agreed to pay $35 million in compensation. The federal payment was controversial for both supporters and opponents of Miller's administration. Liberal MP Tony Ianno defended it as providing fair compensation to legitimate claimants, and said it invalidated Miller's promise that the bridge could be cancelled without incurring further expense. Miller's allies, including NDP leader Jack Layton, argued that the payout was overly generous, and did not reflect the true costs of cancellation. Shortly after the settlement, Miller announced that he would seek the repayment of $27 million in back taxes from the Port Authority to the city. In early 2006, Robert Deluce announced the creation of a new company called Porter Airlines that would start a new commuter service at the Island Airport. The airline would use commuter planes built at Bombardier's Downsview plant. This plan was extremely controversial in the city. Opponents of expansion argued that increased flight services would result in greater noise pollution for downtown residents, as well as preventing other economies from flourishing in the waterfront region. Miller argued that the city may soon have to face the choice of "an industrial or revitalized waterfront". Some supporters of expansion have suggested this is a false dichotomy, and have argued that expansion can be integrated with a larger revitalization plan. Deluce's proposal has won support from both business interests and Canadian Auto Workers leader Buzz Hargrove, who has said it will create new jobs for workers in the region. A Toronto Star report from early February 2006 indicates that most Toronto residents oppose expansion. In late September 2006, it was reported that Robert Deluce's REGCO (the parent company of Porter Airlines) received $20 million of the $35 million paid by the federal government. This payment assisted Deluce in starting his new airline, and opponents have charged that it was for all intents and purposes a federal subsidy. Miller has described the payout as "totally improper". The bridge and airport debates are reflective of a more general division between Miller's administration and the TPA, the federal body created by former Liberal MP Dennis Mills that controls the Toronto Island Airport. Miller called for the TPA to be either eliminated or significantly reformed, and has argued that more oversight powers should be granted to the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp., which is managed by all three levels of government. Miller himself joined the TWRC as a voting member in 2006. In early 2006, longtime Miller ally Olivia Chow called for the newly-elected Conservative government of Stephen Harper to turn control of the Authority to the city. The Harper government announced in May 2006 that it would conduct a review of the Port Authority, and scrutinize past decisions related to the bridge project. Former deputy minister of justice Roger Tassé was named to oversee the review. Miller described himself as "cautiously optimistic", although he later found it "very regrettable and very worrying" that federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon appointed five members of the Port Authority executive before the report was complete. When the Tassé Report was released in November 2006, it defended the Port Authority's decision to sign a bridge contract just before the 2003 election, and described the $35 payout to DeLuce as "reasonable". Miller dismissed the document as "not worth the paper it is written on", while Olivia Chow referred to it as a "total whitewash" and accused the Conservative government of doing a "complete about face" on the issue. In April 2005, Miller encouraged council to begin work on a bid to host the Expo 2015 world fair. He argued that the event would assist the city's plans for waterfront renewal, and would "show Toronto to the world". Council voted 37-2 to launch a bid in May 2006. The bid collapsed in November 2006, when the federal and provincial governments failed to reach agreement on who would cover potential losses. Miller refused to blame either level of government for the failed bid, although councillor Brian Ashton argued that the province was mostly to blame. In October 2005, Miller announced $70 million in waterfront investments over five years, dedicated toward new boardwalks, promenades, public places and related attractions. One such initiative, described as HtO, Toronto's first urban beach, was started in late 2005. Miller and former TWRC chair Robert Fung have criticized the provincial government's plan to build a large power plant on Toronto's waterfront area, and have urged the province to build a smaller facility in its place. Premier Dalton McGuinty has argued that the plant will be necessary to meet Toronto's energy needs. Fiscal policy Following his election, Miller appointed conservative councillor David Soknacki as Toronto's budget chief. Although Miller and Soknacki are from different ideological backgrounds, they have been political allies in managing the city's finances. Toronto's budget shortfall when Miller assumed office was $344 million. There was a general agreement among local politicians and political analysts that the city needed to increase its residential property tax base. Miller promised to hold such increases to 3% per year. Miller held a series of consultative meetings with the Toronto public before introducing his first budget. These forums allowed citizens to understand the details of Toronto's financial management, and received a favourable response from the local media. Miller's first budget was passed by city council in late April 2004, by a vote of 29-10. The city eliminated its previous shortfall while increasing spending by 6%, and keeping residental property taxes increases at 3% and business and industrial property taxes to 1.5% The city's total operating budget for the year was $6.7 billion. Miller engaged in a scaled-back consultation process prior to delivering his second budget in 2005. Following months of difficult negotations, the city passed a balanced budget by taking $19.8 million from its reserve funds. Soknacki acknowledged that this was a difficult decision, and Miller's administration argued that the provincial government had increased Toronto's budgetary difficulties by not providing $72.3 million for provincially-mandated social programs. During the late stages of negotiations, provincial Municipal Affairs Minister John Gerretsen suggested that the city could make up for its budgetary shortfall by raising property taxes above 3%. Miller rejected this advice. The total operating budget for the year was $7.1 billion, with residential property tax increases again held to 3% and business and industry property tax increases held to 1.5%. Increased funds were provided to policing, transit, parks and social programs. Miller and Soknacki argued that it was the best possible budget under the circumstances, although it was criticized by several right-wing councillors. In late 2005, Miller endorsed a policy which shifted a portion of Toronto's property tax burden from businesses and commercial operators to homeowners. Acknowledging that this was a difficult decision, he argued that it was necessary to prevent an exodus of jobs from the city. The decision was endorsed by the Toronto Industry Network. Toronto's capital budget for 2006 was $1.3 billion, and was targeted toward such items as road repairs, police stations and recreation centres. In January 2006, there were media reports that Toronto was facing a $532 million shortfall on its operating budget. To promote cost-cutting, Miller and Soknacki encouraged the city to adopt a "zero-based budgeting" approach, wherein all city departments begin with zero authorized funds and are required to defend all proposed expenditures. The city later announced a hiring freeze. Early fears of significant tax increases were allayed by significant provincial investment in the city. Led by Miller, council passed a $7.6 billion operating budget by a vote of 27-17, again holding residential tax increases to 3% and business tax increases to 1%. The budget contained new money to hire police officers and bus drivers. David Soknacki is not running for re-election in 2006. Transit policy Miller is a strong advocate for the Toronto Transit Commission, the city's public transit system. He took part in negotiations with the federal and provincial governments during 2004, which resulted in one billion dollars in additional funding being allocated for the cash-strapped TTC over five years. The city also received an additional $70 million in up-front provincial funding in 2004 to forestall a fare increase. In late 2004, the provincial government of Dalton McGuinty announced that it would provide $355 million in provincial gas tax revenues for the TTC over three years. Miller welcomed this investment, but later criticized the McGuinty government for including a planned cash bailout in early 2005 as part of its larger grant, rather than as a separate cash investment. Miller's first TTC operating budget in 2004 was $219 million. With Miller's permission, the TTC approved a small fare increase in early 2005. The price of adult tickets and tokens was increased by ten cents, while adult cash fare was increased 25 cents. The TTC mitigated this change by introducing a weekly $30 pass that could be transferred among several users. TTC chair Howard Moscoe argued that the rise was unfortunate, but argued that it was "basically an inflationary increase". Miller endorsed the creation of a streetcar right-of-way along St. Clair Avenue, a six-lane arterial road within the city, in accordance with the recommendations of the TTC ridership plan. The right-of-way project passed council by a vote of 36-7 in September 2004, but has triggered some local opposition. Supporters argue that the project will make public transit more efficient, and set an important precedent for public transit expansion. Opponents, especially in the Dufferin Street business community, have criticized the plan on the grounds that it will reduce customer parking during rush hour. Other opponents, including the Canadian Automobile Association have argued that the right-of-way will increase automobile congestion, since the proposal bans left turns and may divert traffic to neighbourhood streets. Supporters have questioned this latter claim, pointing to the success of a previous right-of-way implemented on Spadina Avenue. Former Toronto mayor John Sewell, a long-standing supporter of public transit, has emerged as a vocal opponent of the right-of-way plan. A group called Save-Our-St. Clair (SOS) took its objections to the Ontario Superior Court in 2005, and won a panel ruling which forced a halt to the project in October. The city subsequently cited a potential bias on the part of one of the judges, and asked that the ruling be set aside. The panel voted 2-1 to recuse themselves in November 2005, and so overturned their previous decision. In February 2006, the Ontario Divisional Court ruled against SOS and gave the city authority to move forward with the project. Miller also supports the creation of rapid transit bus service lines throughout the city, arguing that these will provide the benefits of subway travel at a much lower expense. He has promoted the TTC Ridership Growth Strategy, a plan which aims to increase ridership and reduce overcrowding. Miller strongly criticized a one-day wildcat strike by TTC workers in late May 2006, describing the job action as "illegal, unlawful and absolutely unacceptable". Miller endorsed the TTC's plan to purchase new subway cars from Bombardier, which which awarded a contract for construction of the cars via a non-competitive bid. Some members of council have criticized the deal, citing a study from rival company Siemens that its plan could have saved the city up to $100 million (Bombardier officials have questioned this figure). Miller and TTC chair Howard Moscoe have argued that the Bombardier contract was awarded fairly, and that it will provide the city with both affordable streetcars and local parts-supply employment. Miller described the deal as "good for city taxpayers and good for Ontario". City council approved the deal in September 2006 by a vote of 25-18. 2004 After assuming office, Miller became involved in the long-standing and polarizing debates over Toronto's police budget, the city's largest single expenditure. The city had previously approved several large increases for the police during Mel Lastman's tenure as mayor, and was sometimes criticized for not exercising proper oversight over police requests. The force's 2004 request was for $691.4 million, an increase of $57 million from the previous year. Municipal budget chief David Soknacki initially requested that the police cut $14.2 million from their request, a figure which police chief Julian Fantino argued would jeopardize essential services. After a lengthy and sometimes heated debate, the council voted 40-5 on April 21, 2004 to approve a police budget of $679.1 million. In February 2004, Miller introduced an anti-crime package highlighted by increased community outreach programs and job opportunities for at-risk youth. He also appointed Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry to head a panel on gun-related crime in the city. Fantino described Miller's plan as "holistic", and gave it his support. Some councillors argued that the measures would not be effective against serious criminals, and Etobicoke councillor Doug Holyday suggested that Miller should lobby the federal government for tougher laws. On March 1, 2004, council unanimously approved Miller's plan. In April 2004, a small number of Toronto officers were charged with aiding figures connected to the Hell's Angels biker gang. Shortly thereafter, Miller was overheard saying "Is your police force in jail? Mine is." in a private aside to the Lord Mayor of London, who was in Toronto to announce a new partnership between the cities. Miller explained that he made the comment in order to introduce the scandal to his guest, following an awkward press scrum which the Lord Mayor walked away from after several questions about the local controversy. He later apologized, saying "the allegations are serious and I shouldn't have referred to them with humour". After the mayor's initial comment, Fantino was quoted on the CablePulse 24 program The Chief as saying, "I feel like someone has driven a stake through my heart". He later accepted Miller's apology, and issued a press release on April 30 saying, "The matter is now over". In June 2004, the deadlocked Toronto Police Services Board voted not to renew Fantino's contract as chief. The next month, city council rejected a motion from Fantino's supporters which sought to overturn the decision. The mayor's position was that a full council debate on the matter would have violated the Police Services Act. Some journalists speculated that Miller played an influential behind-the-scenes role in the board's decision to remove Fantino. Miller denied this, saying that he would have preferred the board to reserve any decision until September. Some of Fantino's supporters tried to create a protest movement in support of the dismissed chief, but this was not successful. The Toronto Police Association supported the board's decision to remove Fantino. After the council voted to uphold Fantino's removal, the right-wing Toronto Sun tabloid ran a cartoon comparing Miller to Adolf Hitler over his handling of the issue. Miller described the cartoon as "despicable", and it was also condemned by a representative of the Canadian Jewish Congress. The paper's editor refused to apologize. 2005 In early 2005, Miller argued that Fantino's replacement as Chief of Police should revamp the city's scheduling practices. He argued that the existing system was designed for the convenience of officers living outside of Toronto, and should be revised to permit more officers on the streets during important periods. The following month, he unexpectedly sided with the Toronto Police Association against the Toronto Police Services Board in opposing mandatory drug testing for officers. In March 2005, Miller asked of the Police Services Board that he be granted a participatory role in the selection of the next police chief. He argued that he could provide "a voice that represents all Torontonians rather than that of a particular stakeholder", and said that he would recuse himself from formal deliberations and the final decision. Board member Case Ootes, a frequent opponent of Miller on council, responded that the mayor's request amounted to political interference, and said there was "some contradiction" between the request and Miller's earlier refusal to engage in public debate over Fantino's removal. The Board turned down Miller's request. By way of compromise, he was allowed to see the board's shortlist of candidates and propose interview questions for applicants. Fantino was replaced on a temporary basis by Mike Boyd, a retired deputy chief who had worked closely with Miller when the latter was still a councillor. In April 2005, the board chose Bill Blair as Fantino's permanent replacement. There was some media speculation that the mayor's office would have preferred Boyd for the position, though Miller denied this. In an effort to move beyond previous hostilities, Miller awarded Fantino with the Key to the City on April 14, 2005. During the ceremony, Miller described Fantino as "a man of integrity who has done tremendous work to help keep Toronto safe." Miller indicated that he would take a seat on the Police Services Board halfway through his first term, and replaced Ootes during the city's mid-term shuffle of positions in May 2005. Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone indicated that Ootes was replaced because his right-wing policy views were inconsistent with the aims of Miller's administration. Following a series of gang-related shootings in Toronto during the summer of 2005, Miller argued that lax gun laws in the United States were creating unsafe conditions in the city. He noted that half the firearms in Toronto originated in America. The mayor also announced that most of a $4.3 million police budget surplus would go toward hiring 150 new officers. He had previously opposed hiring large numbers of new officers when campaigning for mayor, at a time when gang-related shootings in the city were fewer and less pronounced. Some journalists noted similarities between Miller's revised policy and that proposed by John Tory in 2003. Miller also called upon Toronto's business leaders to target street crime by providing jobs for unemployed youth; one year later, he was able to report increased hirings in both the public and private sectosr. Some councillors, including Michael Thompson, suggested that Miller waited too long before reacting to reports of increased violence. Later in the year, Miller became involved in a labour dispute between the Police Services Board and the Toronto Police Association. The board, led by councillor Pam McConnell, wanted to save revenue by clawing back existing rates of retention pay and eliminating lunch-hour pay for officers on inactive duty during compressed shifts. The police association argued that the proposals would cause an exodus of officers and result in lower pay for officers working compressed schedules. After a series of acrimonious meetings, negotiations broke down and the association entered a work-to-rule campaign by refusing to patrol or hand out fines. During the course of this dispute, the association printed full-page advertisements in the Toronto Star and Toronto Sun asking the mayor to become personally involved through his role as a board member. It also issued an open letter which asked if Miller wanted to be remembered "as the mayor who was tough on crime, or the mayor who was tough on cops". On October 31, Miller informed the media that he was working to bring both sides together. A tentative deal was signed in early November, with reports that board had compromised on retention pay. One published report suggests that Ralph Lean, a leading Miller fundraiser, played an instrumental role in ending the dispute through private negotiations with former Association head Craig Bromell. A poll taken by Ipsos-Reid in October 2005 showed that the mayor, council, police and judges all received low to middling grades from the Toronto public in their handling of increased gang activity. The poll gave Police Chief Bill Blair and the Toronto Police Services a C average grade, followed by community leaders (C-), Miller (D+), city council (D), the Attorney General of Ontario (D), and the judges and justices of the Peace (D). 2006 In February 2006, the Toronto Police Services Board unanimously supported a policy to have officers refrain from asking witnesses and victims of crime about their immigration status. The purpose of this policy change was to ensure that illegal immigrants will not be intimidated from reporting serious crimes to the police. Both Miller and Blair supported the policy. Miller and Blair also opposed efforts by the Guardian Angels vigilante group to establish a base in Toronto. Their opposition failed to stop the Angels, who have since initiated patrols in the city. Police spending has increased by $117 million under Miller's administration, and 450 new officers have been put on the streets. Environmental policy Shortly after assuming office, Miller introduced a $3 million "clean and beautiful" city initiative to involve ordinary Torontonians in the cleanup of their city. A more comprehensive plan was subsequently introduced and approved by council later in the year, allocating an extra $21 million over three years to pay for various cleanups. The "clean and beautiful" project was allocated $6.4 million in 2005, with much of the money directed toward projects such as litter pickup and cleanups of neglected public space. Miller announced in May 2004 that Toronto would install over 2,000 energy-efficient traffic signal lights. He also endorsed the Deep lake water cooling project, in which water from Lake Ontario is used to cool office buildings in downtown Toronto. In early 2005, Miller and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley made a joint address to the Great Lakes Congressional Breakfast in Washington, D.C. Miller was the first Canadian mayor to address the meeting. A municipal "litter audit" in September 2006 found that the city was 40% cleaner from the previous year. The survey chose 298 random sites throughout the city, and measured the amount of litter in each area. Garbage disposal When Miller was elected mayor, Toronto's garbage had for several years been shipped to a landfill in Michigan, USA through a contract with the firm Republic Services. This arrangement was criticized by some politicians in both Michigan and Ontario, and opponents argued that it would not be sustainable in the long term. Some rival politicians, including John Tory, supported the option of local trash incineration. Miller opposed this, citing both cost concerns and a threat to the environment. He also reiterated his opposition to shipping Toronto's garbage to the Adams mine landfill near Kirkland Lake in Northern Ontario. In 2005, Miller led the city in renewing its contract with Republic for five years. In 2006, Miller spearheaded a decision for the City of Toronto to purchase Green Lane Environmental Ltd., a large landfill area near St. Thomas in southwestern Ontario. It is believed that this purchase will solve Toronto's waste disposal problems for several years, as the city explores other options for the future. Council voted 26-12 to accept the plan. On September 21, 2006, Toronto Star columnist Royson James suggested that the city had received a better offer for the Green lane site one year earlier, and failed to act on it. Miller described James's accusation as "categorically false", acknowledging that the city received a conditional proposal in 2005 but denying that any formal offer was made or that a price was negotiated. He added that a deal would have been impossible, as the province had not granted its approval at the time. Green Lane has upheld Miller's version of events. This controversy notwithstanding, James has written in support of the Green Lane purchase. Under Miller's watch, Toronto has also expanded its Green Bin recycling program, a composting project designed to reduce the amount of waste that Toronto ships to landfills. The project was initiated in Etobicoke in 2002, and the other areas of Toronto have been added since Miller's election as mayor. Green Bin became city-wide in October 2005 when North York was included in the program. In marking the achievement, Miller described Toronto as "a North American leader in recycling and composting programs". Toronto currently recycles and composts 40% of its garbage; it plans to increase this figure to 60% in 2010, and 100% in 2012. Miller reiterated his opposition to trash incineration in the 2006 mayoral campaign. Housing policy Miller convened a summit on affordable housing in late February 2004, bringing in representatives from all three levels of government. As the summit was formally convened, he secured $24 million in funding from the provincial government to construct more than 900 units of housing for low-to-middle income earners. Council voted later in the year to approve $13.6 million for new housing projects, amounting to 312 new homes. Miller's housing advisor, Sean Goetz-Gadon, argued in 2004 that Toronto could accommodate 10,000 subsidized housing units for both the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless. Miller brought forward a series of measures to provide shelter and warmth for Toronto's homeless population during the winter months in 2004, including a decision to set up an emergency centre before Christmas. The shelter had 80 beds, and provided reference services. During the previous Lastman administration, the city had responded to specific emergencies rather than determining a strategy in advance. In early 2005, Miller helped steer a motion through council which banned the homeless from sleeping in Nathan Phillips Square. He said that the plan was intended as a "nudge" to push people in the direction of finding shelters, and added that no one would be arrested. The initiative entitled Streets to Homes also called for the creation of 1,000 new affordable housing units per year, and the creation of another emergency shelter. By December 2005, the city had helped 533 homeless find permanent apartments. In May 2005, Miller's administration presided over the approval of 6,500 new units of housing on brownfield land near the Don River. The project, originally called Ataratiri, had been delayed for 17 years. Two months later, Miller led council in creating a new committee to fast-track the approval of affordable housing. In February 2006, Miller began a comprehensive housing renewal project in Toronto's Regent Park area. Cultural issues Miller created a new Toronto Film Board in November 2004 to improve the economic prospects of the city's multi-billion dollar film industry. Miller was himself designated as the board's chair, and convened its first meeting in February 2005. He also announced that Toronto would host a yearlong festival of the arts in 2006, and received $500,000 from the federal government for cultural spending in early 2005. Miller introduced "Toronto Unlimited" as the city's new promotional slogan in the summer of 2005, although he later criticized some of the advertisements that used the slogan. Most advertising experts agreed with his assessment. In late 2005, Miller helped convince the city to invest $9.8 million in a new soccer stadium at Exhibition Place. In March 2006, he helped introduce an "historic" Wi-Fi network to Toronto. Federal government Miller welcomed the creation of Paul Martin's federal administration in late 2003, noting that Martin was the first Canadian Prime Minister to directly address municipal issues. He endorsed the Martin government's "New Deal for Cities" plan in February 2004, and supported Martin's pledge to waive the Goods and Services Tax for cities. He was a prominent supporter of the Martin government's 2005 budget, and argued against bringing down the minority Liberal government to force a summer election. In June 2005, Miller welcomed a federal commitment to provide $1.9 billion to Ontario municipalities over five years from federal gas tax revenues. Miller did not support any party in the 2004 federal election, but endorsed four individual candidates: New Democrats Peggy Nash and Olivia Chow, and Liberals John Godfrey and Borys Wrzesnewskyj. In 2005, when federal Social Development Minister Ken Dryden was planning a national childcare strategy, Miller spoke in favour of a system based around public delivery. Miller endorsed only two candidates in the 2006 federal election: Liberal John Godfrey and New Democrat Peggy Nash. He supported Paul Martin's call for a total ban on handguns, and urged Martin to bring forward tougher bail conditions on persons accused of gun crimes. Monte Solberg of the Conservative Party met with Miller in June 2005, and told Miller that the Conservative Party would honour existing agreements for waterfront renewal if elected. Despite ideological differences, Miller commended Stephen Harper, who was elected as Martin's successor in 2006, for taking urban issues seriously. Miller supported the appointment of Lawrence Cannon as Minister for Communities in February 2006, and tried without success to persuade the Harper government against eliminating Canada's national child-care plan. He expressed mixed views about the Harper goverment's first budget, noting that it allowed Toronto to construct 1,000 units of affordable housing while also expressing concern about cuts to child-care spaces. In February 2004, Miller called for greater coordination between all three levels of government in overseeing patterns of immigration within Canada. In early 2005, the City of Toronto earmarked up to $5 million to assist about 2,000 refugees who were expected to arrive from tsunami-ravaged areas of Southeast Asia. Provincial government Miller's relations with the provincial government of Dalton McGuinty have generally been cordial, although the two governments have had disputes over finances. Miller argues that the cost of programs downloaded to Toronto by the former government of Mike Harris has burdened the city with disproportionately high expenditures for housing and social services, and has asked the province to re-assume responsibility for some of these. McGuinty has shown some sympathy to Toronto's position, but has also argued that the city has not taken sufficient responsibility for its own budgetary shortfalls, being slower than neighbouring municipalities to raise residential property taxes or implement user fees. In early 2004, McGuinty told reporters that Miller's government had asked for more money in transfer payments than the province could provide. McGuinty's first budget, introduced later in the year, nevertheless honoured a commitment to provide municipalities including Toronto with a portion of gasoline taxes. Miller later criticized the McGuinty government's proposal to negotiate future projects with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario rather than with individual municipalities, arguing that this would weaken Toronto's negotiating ability. John Gerretsen, McGuinty's Municipal Affairs Minister, argued that the AMO arrangement would still permit the province to negotiate with Toronto to specific issues. Under Miller's direction, Toronto withdrew from the AMO in 2005. Both Miller and McGuinty are strong advocates of the 2006 City of Toronto Act, which grants a variety of new powers to the city. Miller had previously criticized the province's authority over Toronto as economically stifling and constitutionally outdated, noting that simple changes like parking levies and tax-free transit passes needed approval from the provincial government before they could be enacted. Miller wrote that the new Toronto Act will "give the city freedom and flexibility to deliver services creatively and effectively", and that it "will essentially be Toronto's constitution". Miller strongly supported the McGuinty government's 2006 budget, which included an immediate $200 million boost for Toronto. Other municipalities Miller convened a meeting of Canada's major urban mayors in January 2004, and argued at the summit that Canadian cities needed enhanced powers of governance to deal with a variety modern challenges. In September of the same year, Miller hosted a meeting of ten major city Canadian mayors, examining the issue of federal gas tax revenues. Political reforms Miller appointed David Mullan as Toronto's first Integrity Commissioner in July 2004. In the same month, he brought forward a motion calling for council to ban corporate and union donations to municipal candidates. He later introduced a comprehensive plan to restructure Toronto's bureaucracy, highlighted by the elimination of three $200,000 a year positions. In making the changes, Miller described Toronto's existing bureaucracy as "incomprehensible to Torontonians" and in need of reform. The package passed council by a vote of 33-9. Miller tried to create a mandatory lobbyist registry in September 2006, but council voted to reserve the matter for further study. Miller supports the current non-partisan system of municipal government in Toronto. He has opposed suggestions to introduce party politics, saying that this would undermine the consensus nature of municipal government and "create a group of people who have a duty to oppose". While initially skeptical about the merits of a "strong-mayor system" (wherein the mayor holds increased administrative powers relative to other councillors), Miller endorsed a 2005 panel report which advocated adding more powers to the mayor's office and creating an executive committee to oversee the city's affairs. Miller's position was that the city needs to restructure itself before receiving new powers from the province. Council endorsed the reforms in principle in December 2005, by a vote of 27-15. In May 2006, the provincial government passed legislation extending the term of office for municipal politicians from three years to four. Miller supported the change, aruging that municipal leaders need longer terms of office to carry out their mandate. In June 2006, he led council in approving a measure to permit the mayor to appoint heads of committees. Miller introduced a new Building A Great City website in April 2006, allowing Torontonians to follow the development of key issues on city council. Popularity and media coverage Miller commanded very strong levels of popularity throughout 2004, with an 82% approval rating in May of that year. His support had moderated somewhat by late 2005, but was still fairly strong at 69%. Miller re-introduced an hour-long call-in television show in early 2004, called The Mayor on CablePulse 24. Mel Lastman had previously hosted a monthly program called Megacity Mel in 1998. A staff member commented on the the difference between the two shows, "with Miller you receive answers to questions. Lastman's show was just a circus". Also in 2004, filmmaker Andrew Munger released In Campaign: The Making of A Candidate as a behind-the-scenes look at Miller's 2003 campaign. Toronto Star columnist Royson James, who supported Miller in 2003, has become increasingly critical of his administration since 2004. Miller was profiled in the April 2006 edition of Vanity Fair magazine. The journal praised his environmental record. 2006 mayoral campaign See main article: Toronto municipal election, 2006 Miller reassembled his first mayoral campaign team in late 2005. John Laschinger and Peter Donolo were returned with prominent roles, joined by new figures such as Ralph Lean and John Ronson. Jane Pepino and Michael Lewis, the brother of Stephen Lewis, are also members, and David Crombie and former Ontario Premier David Peterson were named as honorary co-chairs in February 2006. Miller highlighted law and order issues during his campaign launch, and criticized the federal Conservative government's plans to cancel the national gun registry. Miller's primary opponents are councillor Jane Pitfield and former Liberal Party of Canada president Stephen LeDrew. Pitfield has criticized city spending practices, and has described Miller the "Billion Dollar Man" for overseeing spending increases of $1.3 billion since 2003. Miller responded by observing that Toronto's share of the new spending was only $275 million, with the remainder coming from the provincial and federal governments. He later added that most of the spending "is new investment we've secured from provincial and federal government to meet the needs of our city in public transit, in housing, or the 58 new child care centres that we've opened in Toronto this month alone, in Toronto's poorest neighbourhoods". In May 2006, an election Environics poll indicated that 54% of the electorate would vote for Miller, while 20% would vote for Pitfield. 22% said they were undecided. On September 29, the National Post released an internet survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid which showed Miller leading Pitfield by 55% to 40%. Among "absolutely certain" voters, Miller led Pitfield 51% to 46%. CTV Toronto released a poll on October 2, showing Miller leading Pitfield 65% to 32%. The latter poll also showed Miller with a 66% approval rating. On October 28, the Toronto Star released a phone poll done by Decima Research which showed Miller leading Pitfield by a margin of 30% to 6% among decided voters. The polls also showed 58% of respondents wanted a change in the mayor's office. Former Liberal Party of Canada president Stephen LeDrew entered the race for mayor in late September. No polls have yet been released comparing the relative strengths of all three major candidates. Tim Woolstencraft of the Strategic Council has argued that LeDrew's candidacy will likely take centre-right support away from Pitfield. Miller informed the media in January 2006 that he would not accept corporate and union donations, and would limit himself to individual donations. He has promised to again limit tax increases to the rate of inflation. On October 5, Miller announced $13 million to improve community safety in thirteen of Toronto's most troubled neighbourhoods. He announced his waterfront renewal plan six days later, highlighted by the creation of 750 acres of new public spaces and parks from Scarborough to Etobicoke. He has also described the Toronto Port Authority as "a rogue agency that is not accountable to anyone", and renewed his criticism of the expanding island airport. Miller introduced his environmental strategy the following week, highlighted by a four-year neighbourhood beautification program for each of Toronto's neighbourhoods. Miller's public transit strategy, announced on October 24, calls for more dedicated bus lines and increased light rapid transit, with a corresponding de-emphasis on subway construction. He has also called for a Universal Transit Pass (or "U-pass"), to encourage transit use among college and university students. In late October, Miller argued that Toronto's 200,000 landed immigrants should be permitted to vote in municipal elections. Pitfield and LeDrew later indicated their support for the proposal. Provincial Municipal Affairs Minister John Gerretsen has indicated his willingness to examine the proposal after the election. Miller released his full campaign platform on November 1, 2006. He promised 4,000 units of affordable housing, a mandatory lobbyist registry, and a further expansion of the green bin program to apartments and condominiums. Miller also said that he would negotiate with the federal and provincial governments for a share of the General Sales Tax and Provincial Sales Tax, noting that a GST/PST transfer of only 1% would increase Toronto's annual revenues by $450 million. He is calling for a National Transit Strategy, to fund public transit in Canada's largest cities. Table of offices held Municipal politics Electors could vote for two candidates in the 1997 election. The percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes. The 1991 results are taken from a Toronto Star newspaper report on November 13, 1991, with 192 of 196 polls having reported. The final results were not significantly different. All other municipal results are taken from official summaries made available by the City of Toronto. Provincial and federal politics The provincial electoral data is taken from Elections Ontario, and the federal data from Elections Canada. Footnotes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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